Page 5 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
“The first time around?”
“I cannot guarantee that. Once you awaken, you and those around you will have free will. Even I cannot interfere with such a thing. That blasted will is what got me in this mess in the first place.”
“Then I want to keep my memoriesandhers,” I said, gripping the edge of the podium and leaning closer. “If I have them, I may recognise the world from my life, and I will be able to change things based on the knowledge I have of how things are supposed to go.”
“You mean how things are incorrectly supposed to go, given the state of repetition the world is in.”
“Exactly. Assuming it’s proceeding in a way you don’t want, wouldn’t this make it easier to make the world conform to your most gracious, beautiful will?” Not to mention I didn’t want to be dropped into a weird place where I would know absolutely nothing about life there.
I’d already spent my teen years trying to fit in. I had no intention of living that nightmare again.
“Stop sweet-talking me. I can see why you were a lawyer,” he grumbled. “All right, fine. But in exchange for both yours and her memories, you will have no recollection of this meeting with me.”
My jaw dropped. “At all? Then how will I know what to do? Or what gift you’ve given me?”
“You will know when the time comes.” God reached forwards and tapped the tip of my nose with his fingertip. “Well? We’re running out of time. What is your decision, dear one?”
I pressed my lips together firmly. I wasn’t ready to die. Even if I couldn’t go back to my life as Allie Montgomery, would living another’s life be so bad? Especially if it meant I could right a wrong for the people living in that world?
Talk about pressure.
But really, there was only one choice.
A choice I felt was the right one deep in my bones.
“I’ll do it,” I said, clapping my hands together. “Let me take her place and fix your broken world.”
“Very well. Take this.” God formed a ball of golden light and pushed it towards me.
It hit me square in the chest and dissipated through my body with a tingle of warmth, almost like I was being wrapped in the most incredible hug by someone who loved me.
“You will forget about this conversation once you wake, but you will retain the memories of your past life and your current one. I will keep watch over you, Allie, for I am God in all my worlds. And I will always be there when you need me. The truth will come to light when the time is right.” He smiled gently, then paused, tilting his head to one side. “Ah.”
“What is it?”
“She’s gone. It’s time.” He held out his hand, and a golden light emanated from it, wrapping me in the same gentle warmth that’d spread through me when the golden ball had hit me. “Heed these words, dear one: The wrong and the rightful cannot coexist.”
“How can I heed them when I’ll forget them?”
There was a flash, and his final words echoed in my mind as the light enveloped me.
“Goodbye, Alicia.”
Chapter One
Lady Alicia Vermillion
I’d never really put much thought into what it felt like to die.
After all, at the age of twenty-six, I’d not had much reason to. As far as I was concerned, I had a long life left to live, so the prospect of dying wasn’t something I lingered on.
Until I actually died.
It wasn’t even my fault. All I’d been doing at the time was sitting in my car at the red light on the crossroads, grumbling to myself about my ratbastard of an ex-boyfriend who’d had a change of heart and wanted me back, when a pair of headlights blinded me as they hurtled towards me.
The last thing I heard was the skin-crawling screech of metal being crushed as my car was shoved back into the bus that was behind me.
Then… I woke up here. In this strangely ornate bedroom that resembled the ones I’d seen when reading historical webtoons. You know the type—extravagantly panelled walls, a four-poster bed, antique style sitting area in front of a large fireplace.
